Delta Rogue, SEAL Team Phantom Series 3: SEAL Team Phantom Series, #3

Chapter One

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Hailey Ashley looked at the lock on her apartment door, and then at the computer screen again. Ever since the man she’d called friend and team member Dex, had betrayed their team, she’d been living in a state of fear. A game of hide and seek and waiting, until he decided to come and take her out. The other guys were big bad SEALs, while she was the only woman in the group who he would consider an easy target. Until a few weeks ago, she was pretty confident she was as badass as they were. Now, she wasn’t so sure. Hell, Blake Anderson was one of the toughest men she knew, and he’d been drugged by the asshole, and taken hostage.

A shudder worked its way through her at the image of the other man lying in the hospital bed. Luckily for him he had JoJo, another SEAL member and his lover. Both men were so in love, she sometimes envied their closeness. I’m freaking pathetic, she groaned to the empty room.

Thinking back, she wondered how they’d missed the fact Dex had been working for another faction. They all lived in the Steinem apartment building, or at least they had, and hung out regularly. Now, she wasn’t sure where Dex was, or Maddox Lopez for that matter. When Dex had shown his true colors and allowed Blake to be kidnapped, then tried to take Alexa Gordon in order to trade her to some unknown person, all so he could make a quick buck, he’d betrayed them all. She was the only one out of the team who’d kept a separate apartment in another location, or at least she thought she was. Now, she questioned everything she’d thought she’d known.

The ringing of her landline startled her, but she let it go to voicemail. More than likely, the same person was calling again. I don’t know anything, she said aloud even though she was alone. Somehow a computerized voice would call her at all hours, demanding answers to questions she didn’t have. Her job on the team was not glamorous, or even dangerous. She blended, or if the target was female, then she became the friend and confidante. Hailey drew the line at sleeping with a target.

Tired of staring at the walls, and waiting around to be killed, she unfolded her legs from the sitting position. In a pair of black leggings and a tank top that read Shut the Fuck up, she slipped on a pair of tennis shoes, then grabbed her backpack. After making sure her gun was safely inside, she headed toward the door. For weeks she’d hid in her home, only going out to get groceries in broad daylight like a coward. She hadn’t seen any of the men she’d gotten used to seeing on a daily basis, the ones she’d called friends. For three years, she lived and worked and had no other friends in South Dakota, thanks to her job. Well, she was not going to sit around and mope, or fret anymore.

Mind made up, she unlocked the deadbolts one at a time, then taking a deep breath, stepped into the hall. The quietness was alarming, but she reassured herself it was normal. She turned back around and relocked the door, then with a press of a button, engaged the security system on her keychain. She may be ready to get out, but she wasn’t stupid.

When she didn’t encounter a soul in the elevator or the lobby, she exhaled a deep breath. One obstacle down, several more to go. Keeping her head up, and her mind alert, Hailey continued to head toward where she kept her Ducati Monster 696. With her keys palmed, she pulled the helmet off the handle bars, strapped it on, then straddled the bike. The sound of the engine roaring to life made her feel alive for the first time in weeks.

She leaned forward over the gas tank, maneuvering out of the parking spot and headed out of the garage. The sound of a vehicle coming up behind her, set off alarms in her overly tired brain. While she waited for the bar to go up, she looked behind herself and saw a blacked out sedan coming up the ramp. Without a second thought, she eased around the guard rail, and left before whoever was in the vehicle could get within shooting distance. Her fight or flight instinct took over before she could think twice, choosing to run as fast as she could.

The sun going down blazed a bright orange and yellow trail as she gunned the engine, putting much wanted space between her and the vehicle. Swerving between traffic, she tried to picture the license plate, and cursed herself for not paying closer attention. If Mad, or one of the other guys had been there, they’d have made sure to get details, or more than likely, they’d have stayed and confronted whoever was in the vehicle.

As the miles passed, she finally let herself cry for the first time. Tears rolled down her cheeks, and dried from the wind while she drove. Her stomach ached from lack of food, making her decision to get out of the apartment apparent. Another loop up the winding road and she promised herself she’d head back to town for dinner. At the very top, she saw a small roadside area and decided to stop to watch the sunset. With nobody else on the road, the need to take advantage of the perfect moment was too hard to ignore. She hated the thought of heading back to Ohio to her family with her tail between her legs. Sure, they’d hug her and tell her they loved her, but afterward, she would never hear the end of the ‘I told you so’s’, or even worse, ‘that girls aren’t cut out for that line of work’ speeches. No matter how much better of a shot she was than her brothers and cousins, or the fact she could kick their asses in hand to hand, it all came back to the fact, her family believed a woman’s place was in the home, taking care of the kids.

The sound of her tires rolling over the gravel echoed around her. She stopped the bike and sat up, cracking her back from being bent over for so long. Taking off the helmet, she shook out her hair, and sat for a few minutes. Pushing the kickstand down, she hopped off and went to stand near the edge of the cliff off to the side. The sound of wildlife like a symphony. Going home shouldn’t feel like a prison sentence, dammit.

With a resigned sigh, she turned back toward where she’d left her bike.

Headlights coming up the road highlighted the area, making her scramble to reach the Ducati before they got to where she’d parked. With her heart in her throat, Hailey came to a hard realization, she wasn’t going to make it as the large truck pulled in behind her motorcycle. She slipped her backpack off, grabbed her gun out, and trained it on the large man exiting.

Maddox, aka Mad Lopez, rounded the front of his Dodge Ram looking way too good for Hailey’s mindset. Dressed in a pair of jeans that molded to his muscular thighs, and a tight white T-shirt, she felt her mouth go dry.

Nice night for a ride, Hales. Maddox’s deep rumble had all her girlie parts standing up and taking notice.

She tilted her head, but didn’t lower her weapon. Why are you here, Mad?

He shrugged his massive shoulders making her want to run her fingers over his muscles. How the man could keep his white shirts pristine, she had no clue. As the seconds turned to a minute she began to fidget, but refused to say another word.

Taking a step closer to her bike, her thought was to get on it and leave him standing on the side of the road. His dark eyes gleamed as if he already figured out her plans, and was two steps ahead of her.

The sound of another approaching vehicle made Hailey tense. What the fuck? I swear to all that is holy this is usually a deserted stretch of road at this time of night. No sooner had the words left her mouth, than a spray of bullets pinged the ground in front of her. Maddox shocked her as he sprinted toward her, throwing his body in front of hers, then rolling them both away from their vehicles.

Hailey held her breath, the jarring of the fall somewhat cushioned as she rolled with the man who held her securely in his arms. The closer they got to the edge of the cliff, the more she began to struggle.

Dammit don’t fucking fight me. Those bullets are not fake, Hellion, he grunted.

She almost felt bad, knowing he